1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to numerical expression display control apparatus, method and program.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been electronic calculators called a mathematical calculator that calculates the value of a respective one of various numerical expressions involving different arithmetic operations and sinusoidal and logarithmic functions inputted to the calculator, thereby displaying a result of the calculation.
These mathematical calculators selectively employs a single-line expression form used in computer calculations and a natural expression form used in general books or school-books to express a numerical expression. For example, the square of “a” is expressed as “a^2” in the single-line expression form and as “a2” in the natural expression form.
When the single line expression form is employed for a numerical expression, it is difficult to grasp the whole structure of the numerical expression as its structure is complicated. When the natural expression form is used, the whole structure of the numerical expression can be grasped easier than when the single line expression form is employed. However, as the numerical expression is massive excessively as shown in FIG. 11(a), the whole numerical expression is not necessarily displayed and the whole structure of the numerical expression is difficult to grasp.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a numerical expression display control apparatus that allows a user to easily grasp the whole structure of a numerical expression displayed on a display.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a numerical expression display control apparatus comprising: a display; an input unit that inputs a numerical expression to the apparatus; a dividing unit that divides the numerical expression inputted by the input unit into a plurality of calculation units; and a map display controller that converts the plurality of calculation units to a like number of smaller display blocks, and forming and displaying on the display a map in which the display blocks are disposed at positions corresponding to those of the plurality of calculation units in the numerical expression expressed in a natural expression form.
According to the present invention, the map display controller converts the plurality of calculation units to a like number of smaller display blocks, and forms and displays on the display a map in which the display blocks are disposed at positions corresponding to those of the plurality of calculation units in the numerical expression expressed in a natural expression form. Thus, unlike the conventional case where a numeric expression is expressed in the single line expression form, the structure of the numerical expression can be easily grasped in the natural expression form even when it is complicated. In addition, since the size of a display block indicative of each calculation unit is smaller than the same, the whole map is displayed even when the numerical expression is massive unlike the conventional case where the numerical expression is expressed in the natural expression form. Thus, the whole structure of the numerical expression can be easily grasped.